TSP #248 – Zurich Instruments MFIA Impedance Analyzer (Z = 1mΩ – 1TΩ) Review, Teardown & Experiments

In this episode Shahriar reviews the Zurich Instruments MFIA Impedance analyzer. The unit is capable of measuring impedances from 1mΩ to 1TΩ and across a frequency range of 1mHz to 5MHz while providing a basic accuracy of 0.05%. However, this instrument is much more than just an Impedance Analyzer, it is build on a lock-in amplifier architecture with sophisticated capabilities and features:

https://www.zhinst.com/americas/en/products/mfia-impedance-analyzer

The review is organized as follows:

00:00:00 – Introductions
00:00:39 – Digital lock-in fundamental theory of operation
00:06:00 – Block diagrams, LCR capabilities, performance metrics
00:14:29 – MFIA I/O and interface overview
00:15:48 – Detailed teardown, circuit components, design architecture
00:21:57 – GUI introduction, software flow, API capabilities
00:24:51 – MFITF Impedance Fixture details
00:25:38 – Calibration & initial measurement setup, numeric display
00:30:41 – Frequency sweep, self-resonance, plotting functions
00:34:07 – High-Q filter measurements, phase & impedance analysis
00:36:07 – Varactor CV characteristic measurements, bias & signal sweep
00:39:32 – Trend sweeps, temperature measurements, statistical plots
00:43:52 – Threshold Unit, generating waveforms, AUX IOs, DAQ capabilities
00:49:18 – Lock-in amplifier overview & signal flow diagrams
00:51:23 – Ultra-sound radar, spectrum view, digitizer, AUX routing
01:00:48 – Zurich Instruments product ecosystem overview
01:01:48 – Concluding remarks

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